I hadn't seen DBIx::XHTML_Table before. It is the 96th result returned in a CPAN search for "html table". I rarely search to the 10th page. Truth be told, there are entirely too many results returned. Many of them seem to do the same thing, and most of them also seem poorly designed, IMOH.

<rant>

Some people will naturally like templates better. That's fine, but let's ignore that at the moment, because I personally don't care much for them. They have their place, but most of the time it's not with me.

Where is the best place to put a module like this? I see them in all different namespaces: DBIx, HTML, Table, Text, CGI. Where would it actually belong? If it's made more generic with different output options? What if you decide you want to expand it with other HTML functions? This is a general problem with CPAN, I think. Reusable code doesn't fit well in a hierarchy.

Now what if different people have different ideas of what a good interface would be? The first module claims a good name, and the second really has no place.

Suppose, for instance that I decide I don't like the way CGI.pm works. I decide that I want to redesign it. Sure, reinventing the wheel can be bad, but there's always the possibility of improvement. What would I name my module?

</rant>

It's really hard to find the right module sometimes. Too hard. I suppose it's even harder to write one.